Bears and Dolphins TV, Radio, Odds
Kickoff: Noon, Soldier Field, Chicago.
The setting: It's QB Justin Fields' debut with the Bears. Miami comes to Soldier Field after a 10-6 season. The Dolphins were 3-3 under coach Brian Flores in his second season when they got hot and won seven of their last 10 but still missed the playoffs. The Bears earned their second playoff berth in three years under coach Matt Nagy despite an 8-8 record, then lost to New Orleans 21-9 in the wild-card round.
TV, Radio: NFL Network, Fox-32 in Chicago area (Adam Amin, Jim Miller, Lou Canellis). WBBM-AM 780, 105.9-FM (Jeff Joniak, Tom Thayer, Mark Grote). TUDN Deportes Radio AM 1200, FM 93.5.
The line: Bears by 3 1/2, over/under 35 1/2.
Key changes since 2020: Miami tried to upgrade its defensive front by trading for defensive end Shaq Lawson, signing free agent defensive lineman Adam Butler and signing speedy wide receiver Will Fuller. ... The Bears brought in quarterback Andy Dalton and drafted Fields after trading up in Round 1. The bulk of their remaining acquisitions revolved around fortifying depth as they were hurt in several areas last year by a bench that had become too thin.
Missing men: Possible Dolphins players missing are tight end Hunter Long (lower body), wide receiver Fuller (foot).
Potential Bears starters missing are left tackle Teven Jenkins (back), right tackle Germain Ifedi (hip-flexor), safety Tashaun Gipson (groin), linebacker Roquan Smith (groin), wide receiver Allen Robinson (hamstring), guard James Daniels (quad) and nose tackle Eddie Goldman (just returned from COVID-19 list).
Matching up: Miami was 22nd on offense last year, 20th passing and 22nd rushing. The Dolphins were 20th on defense, 23rd against the pass and 16th against the run.
The Bears were 26th on offense, 22nd in passing and 25th in rushing. They were 11th on defense, 12th against the pass and 15th against the run.
Scouting report: Miami's problem last year was an inability to get the ball downfield in the passing game with any consistency even with Tua Tagovailoa at quarterback. He averaged only 6.3 yards per pass attempt and never had a gain longer than 35 yards, so Miami desperately needs a better downfield game. Their defense is very stingy. The defense of coordinator Josh Boyer forced more turnovers than any other and led the NFL in interceptions, with 10 coming from cornerback Xavien Howard. The Dolphins caused the fourth-most fumbles.
The Bears had an even worse time getting it downfield than Miami last year but that was with Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky averaging just 5.6 yards per attempt, 26th in the NFL. Can they get bigger gains with Dalton and Fields? The defensive secondary battles (Kindle Vildor and Desmond Trufant at left cornerback and Duke Shelley and Thomas Graham Jr. at slot cornerback) are critical for the Bears.
Next week: The Dolphins host Atlanta on Aug. 21. The Bears host Mitchell Trubisky and the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 21 at noon.
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
